


old habits, new loves

by oakleaf_bearer



Series: scottish safehouse fics [4]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Nail Polish, Pining, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:14:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27783550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oakleaf_bearer/pseuds/oakleaf_bearer
Summary: "Can I paint your nails?"Martin asked the question over dinner one night, pushing his food around his plate with his fork, not meeting Jon's eyes."You want to paint my nails?" Jon asked slowly.-martin finds a photo of jon with his nails painted and falls a little bit more in love
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Series: scottish safehouse fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1912657
Comments: 72
Kudos: 402





	1. Chapter 1

"Oh wow."

"What?" Jon leant against the door, poking his head out of the kitchen. "Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah, it's all good." Martin gave him a half smile. "I was just unpacking the bags and..." He held out the small slip of shiny paper. "I found this."

Jon knew exactly what was in his hand. It had been such an innocuous thing in the grand scheme of things. And he strongly doubted Georgie missed it. It was possible she hadn't even noticed. Still, guilt had stilled his hand every time he'd gone to take it out of the side pocket of the bag he had slipped it into. Not just guilt about taking it without Georgie's permission, though that weighed heavily on him as well, but also guilt about how much it showed his change. 

It was a photograph, many years old, taken around the time he and Georgie were dating. They had gone to a party, and Jon had permitted Georgie one indulgence when it came to his outfit. Nothing too flashy, this was back before he'd become adventurous, but something a bit more out there. 

She'd painted his nails. 

In the photograph, Georgie was holding his hand, presenting it to the camera as he smiled sheepishly. A genuine smile, not the one he often had to force nowadays. He didn't have to force the smile around Martin, especially when Martin was looking at him like that, clutching that tiny fragment of Jon's past like a lifeline. 

"I forgot I still had that." 

"You look so different."

Jon chuckled. "It was a very long time ago."

"Not that long. You aren't that old."

"I've still changed."

"We all have." Martin grinned. "The look suits you." 

"Really?" 

He nodded enthusiastically. "Very much so. You've always had nice hands, but this," He waved the photograph. "This is a whole new level."

Jon smiled. "You really like it, don't you?"

"I really like you." Martin corrected, reaching out his free hand towards Jon. Jon went to him easily enough, letting Martin wrap his arms around him. "This is just another part of you."

"Christ, you make it sound so dramatic. It's only a bit of paint, it's hardly the most egregious thing I've ever done."

"My point still stands." Martin kissed the top of his head. "You're adorable and I like you a lot." 

-

"Can I paint your nails?"

Martin asked the question over dinner one night, pushing his food around his plate with his fork, not meeting Jon's eyes. 

"You want to paint my nails?" Jon asked slowly. 

"Only if you're comfortable with it. It's just, looking at the picture made me think of it, and then I saw some nail varnish in the shop when we went the other day and it was cheaper than I thought it would be, so I was just wondering, you know, it could be fun-"

Jon cut off Martin's rambling by putting a hand over his free one where it rested on the table. 

"If that's something you'd like, I'm amicable."

"Really?" Martin perked up. 

"Of course. It could be fun, I haven't had them painted in years."

"Thanks, I'll, ah, I'll pick some up tomorrow. What colour would you like?"

"Surprise me"

"Really?"

"Sure." Jon shrugged. "I really don't mind."

Martin beamed at him. 

-

Martin was full of nervous energy when he got home from the shops, enough that Jon could feel it radiating off him. He started unpacking the bags, handing things to Jon to put away. 

"So, I got black because I thought it would be a good place to start. Nothing too out there, you know?" 

It wasn't until he put the small glass bottle on the table that Jon's brain caught up. 

"Oh right, I forgot." 

Martin paused. "Is it still okay? You can change your mind." 

"No, I want to." He smiled. "It'll be fun, right?" 

"Hopefully."

"Then let's put all of this away and make some space."

Soon after, they were sat at the table, Martin's thumb rubbing along Jon's knuckles. 

"Where should I start?"

"I think you just do it. 

"Right." He hummed and unscrewed the cap of the bottle. 

Martin was meticulous, carefully brushing the paint on. Despite his caution, some still got onto Jon's skin slightly. He frowned, forehead wrinkling adorably. 

"Damn." He tried to swipe it away with his thumb but it smudged, sending a black streak across Jon's finger. 

Jon chuckled. "Whoops." 

"Oh shush. I've never done this before. It's not as easy as it looks."

"You're doing great." 

Martin hummed doubtfully, but started work on the next nail. It was still untidy, but it was better. He carefully lifted Jon's fingers as he worked, and Jon let him manoeuvre his hands to suit his purpose, watching the way Martin frowned in concentration, his tongue sticking out slightly. His heart felt so full as Martin cursed under his breath at a particularly stubborn nail. 

When Martin finished one hand he sat back, inspecting his handiwork. 

"It looks terrible, doesn't it?"

"Not at all." Jon held his hand up to the light. "I think it looks quite good."

"It's so messy." Martin was right, there was excess polish around each of the nails, and the coats of paint were little lumpy, but still. Jon had never liked his own hands better. 

"They're fantastic."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely. For a complete beginner, you've done really well."

Martin ducked his head, flushing. "Give us your other hand then."

Jon held out his hand. Martin leant so close Jon could feel his warm breath on his hand as he painted. He worked much slower, taking extreme amounts of care to not slip.

Jon tuned out the world as he worked, letting himself focus on Martin and his soft hands and warm breath. By the time Martin sat back, Jon felt more relaxed than he had in years. Martin's smile as he held up his hand to inspect them made him feel lightheaded. 

"They're perfect. Thank you."

"You like them?"

"I love them." Jon smiled. "I love you." 

Martin beamed at him. "I love you too." 

Martin packed away the nail polish. Jon went to help him but Martin caught his wrist. "You'll smudge them, sit still."

"Sorry." 

Martin looked at Jon's hand. "It suits you."

"All your handiwork. I would've done a much worse job."

Martin vanished into the kitchen, still chuckling. "I can do it again some time if you want."

"I'd like that. It's reminding me of the good old days. I was far more adventurous in uni. That photograph is from the early days, but I got much more wild."

"Really?" Martin's voice was muffled. 

"Oh yes." Jon examined his hands. "I'll see if I can find a picture of me in eyeliner." There was a small crash from the kitchen. "Everything alright?" Jon asked, leaning around the doorframe. 

Martin was clutching the sink, head down, a slightly chipped mug on the counter. 

"Eyeliner?" His voice was very thin.

"Yes, is that..." Jon paused. "Do you not like it?" 

"You wore eyeliner?"

"Not often, but yes."

Martin looked up at him. "Jonathan Sims. In eyeliner."

Jon frowned, slightly lost. "Yes..?" He repeated, helplessly. 

"That is the hottest thing I think I've ever heard."

Jon choked on his laugh. "Really?" 

"Really. Sorry, that's probably not what you expected to hear, but wow. The mental image."

"I'm flattered." Jon crossed the kitchen and wrapped his arms around his back, careful to keep his still drying nails away from his shirt. 

Martin shook his head, grinning. "You're going to be the death of me." 


	2. Chapter 2

"Jon, I'm home!" Martin called, shutting the door behind him with his foot, arms laden with bags of groceries. He thought he'd maybe gone a bit overboard in the shop, but with the weather turning they couldn't be certain that they'd be able to get to the shops. 

He started unloading the bags in the kitchen when Jon appeared behind him in the doorway. 

"Hey."

He turned to greet Jon. 

The bag slipped out of Martin's hand, sending groceries rolling across the floor. Jon yelped as a tin of beams rocketed towards his foot. 

"Martin, good lord, be careful." 

"What," Martin said slowly. "the fuck are you wearing?"

Jon looked up at him through long lashes, his big dark eyes lined with smudgy black eyeliner. 

"Do you like it?" 

"Jon." Martin stared at him. "Jon."

"Martin?"

This was how he died. Standing, surrounded by groceries, heart beating out of his chest, and Jonathan fucking Sims gazing at him wearing _eyeliner._ A good death. A happy one. If his last sight was his boyfriend looking like _that_ then he was okay with that. 

"Martin? Please say something."

"Come here." He didn't know where the gentle demand came from, but Jon obeyed, looking adorably anxious. 

"Is it really that bad?" Jon looked so vulnerable. 

Martin lifted his hands to Jon's face and ran his thumbs along the soft skin under his eyes. "When did you get this?"

"A few days ago. When we were at the shops, I just saw it and picked it up, and I thought- I don't know, you mentioned that you thought it would look good and then when I saw it I snuck it and payed for it without you noticing. I-I'm not as good as I used to be, my hand doesn't really work well with the scar so it's a bit more messy than I would've liked, but you-"

Martin cut him off with a kiss. Jon made a satisfied little sound and pulled him closer. Martin revelled at the feeling of Jon's hands in his hair. 

"Jon." Martin broke away from him slightly. "Do you know how attractive you look right now?" 

Jon beamed. "Really? You like it?" 

"I feel like that's fairly obvious, Jon."

"Just checking." 

Martin grinned and gently nudged Jon's chin to tilt his head, peering at the eyeliner. It was truly awful, no sense of order at all, but Martin felt he didn't care. It almost made the bags under Jon's eyes look fashionable rather than worrying. "You look amazing like this. Well, you look amazing all the time, but this is- wow, this is something else." 

Jon rested his hands on Martin's chest. His fingernails were still painted black, and the whole ensemble made him look years younger, even if he was still drowning in a sweater he stole from Martin. "I love you so much." 

"I love you too. Thank you," Martin pressed a kiss to his forehead. "for doing this for me."

"Anytime."

"Is that a promise?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)   
> the people asked for it, so i delivered

**Author's Note:**

> hehe fluff machine go brrr
> 
> come find me [on tumblr](https://oakleaf--bearer.tumblr.com/) or [on insta](https://www.instagram.com/statement_boo_gins/)  
> i take promts/dms/asks on both!
> 
> comments and kudos keep me writing, pls leave some!


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